How to fix error 0x80071ac3

  • Error 0x80071ac3 occurs when trying to copy files to external drives.
  • Indicates that the volume is 'dirty', due to corrupted files.
  • Causes include damaged USB ports and file system errors.
  • Solutions include changing USB ports and running CHKDSK and SFC scans.
Daniel Terrasa

6 minutes

error 0x80071ac3

Some of the errors that occur in Windows, always announced by a disturbing message in the middle of the screen, occur when we are trying to carry out specific processes. As annoying as it may be, this is also quite helpful in trying to locate its origin and find a solution. As for example in the case of error 0x80071ac3.

Specifically, this error message appears when we are trying copy or transfer files to USB media or to an external hard drive or SSD. The transfer is interrupted and we are forced to start the process again, but the error persists. What is going wrong?

What does error 0x80071ac3 mean?

Rather than a failure in the file transfer process, what this message indicates is an unexpected error when trying to access the files stored on our computer's hard drive. The system is unable to read or write the connected drive because the volume "is dirty" (the volume is dirty, in English). That's the part of the error message text that's often the most disconcerting.

error 0x80071ac3

The use of the term "dirty" can be somewhat striking. In fact, it refers to the existence of one or more corrupted files, thereby blocking access to the file store on the external hard drive. In this way, the content of the error message itself gives us some clues to try to find a way to resolve it.

Possible causes of the error

We already know what the error means. The next step is to identify the reasons why it has occurred. The reasons may be several, these are some of the most common:

  • Any USB port on our computer that is damaged or broken.
  • An unexpected shutdown or crash of the system.
  • The presence of bad sectors on the hard drive.
  • That the ReadyBoost disk caching feature is enabled
  • Faulty or outdated device drivers.
  • File system errors.

Being able to find out what the true cause of the error is will make the task of remedying it much easier, although this is not always easy.

Solutions to error 0x80071ac3

Below, we present a battery of possible solutions for this annoying error. It is best to try them in the same order in which we list them. If one doesn't work, you have to move on to the next. And so on until we find the definitive solution:

Use another USB port

USB port

In many cases the error occurs because we are connecting the external drive is to a damaged USB port. Therefore, before trying to solve it with more complex methods, it is worth trying another port on our PC and then checking if the problem has been solved.

Run CHKDSK scan

chkdsk

The first thing we should try is to run the CHKDSK scan of our hard drive, a fairly effective method when it comes to resolving file system errors. Here's what you need to do to get it up and running:

  1. To start with, we open the Symbol of the system.
  2. Then we write the command chkdsk /r /f X: and press Enter.
  3. The next step is to replace the letter "X" by that of the unit we want to check.
  4. After the scan is completed, you have to disconnect the storage media and reconnect it.
  5. Finally, we started el File Browser and we try again to gain access to the data.

Run the SFC scan

sfc scannow

If the CHKDSK scan has not given results, you should try another type of scan: the sfc (System File Checker), which is another of the utilities that we find in the Windows operating system to solve problems and errors related to the system. To run it, you have to follow these simple steps:

  1. First, we open the Symbol of the system.
  2. Then we write the command SFC/scannow and press Enter.

Then all we have to do is wait for the scanning process to finish, after which we will check if the error has gone away or is still there.

Disable ReadyBoost disk caching feature

ReadyBoost

We mentioned it above in our list of possible causes of error 0x80071ac3. It has to be said that ReadyBoost It is a very practical built-in Windows function, as it helps improve system performance by storing elements in disk cache. However, it may also be the cause of the error we are trying to resolve. If so, you must deactivate the function as follows:

  1. We look for the affected storage device and click on the tab "Properties".
  2. In the box that opens next, we click on the tab ReadyBoost.
  3. To finish, we just press the button "Do not use this device" and then we click To apply.

Reinstall drivers

When all of the above has not worked, all that remains is to apply the last resort solution: reinstall the drivers, which will probably be outdated or damaged. We can do it in the following way:

      1. First we use the key combination Windows + X.
      2. In the menu that appears on the left of the screen, we select Device administrator.
      3. Then we click on Disk Drives.
      4. We select the affected hard drive and choose the option "Uninstall".
      5. Next we disconnect the external storage drive and restart the computer.

Once the computer has restarted, we insert the external storage drive into the PC again and repeat steps 1 and 2 from the previous list. Then we must select the option «Action" and choose "Scan for hardware changes".

With this, Windows will reinstall the drive and all its drivers. Finally, all that remains is to check if the error has been solved.